sick or stressed goat?

[campchickens]

I have five goats. I was away for a few days, with colleagues feeding and watering in my absence. I came back to find my only buck's backside covered in loose stool, and he's lethargic. Everything else checks out ok-- pink under eyelids, happy flicky tail, comes to see me, has an appetite. I noticed he's rather bony (suddenly?) so he's just free ranging alone today, separated from the rest of the herd.

I'm not sure if he's ill, or if he's just stressed out? He had been staying in a pen with two wethers, one of which is huge and mean. We are a summer camp, so he had lots of humans around petting him and loving on him all summer, and now fall has arrived and there's a lot less attention.

Thoughts? Trying to get in touch with the farm we work with, and looking into a vet...

 

[cassie]

Something isn't right and I don't think it's stress. Does he still have the runs?

 

[campchickens]

I haven't actually seen evidence one way or another-- just that it was caked on his backside this morning. I followed him for a while but he didn't pass anything. He's free ranged a bit today, and ate, and got really excited when I opened a new bag of food, ate his portion right up. I moved our nice wether into a pen with him. They tend to get along. I'm going back out to check on them now...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It could be something as simple as eating something that didn't agree with him to some of the chronic wasting diseases like johnne's, if he doesn't look better in a day or two a visit from a vet would be best, I have dealt with chronic wasting, they continue to eat but loose weight fast, usually a change in season, like spring or fall with trigger it, hopefully your boy just ate a bad weed. Good luck.

 

[campchickens]

Our friends down the road suggested it might have been the sudden fall weather. Sunday night was really cool (50ish) after months of overnight lows in the 70s. He was eager when I opened a new bag of food yesterday and very happy to take some baking soda. I found some more solid stool this morning, still not berries, but an improvement. He's free ranging and I'm keeping an eye on it. Thanks so much for replying!